Page 106 of Adoring Delaney

“Gave you thirty days. Would’ve given you however long you needed to put that smile on my daughter’s face. We’ve all waited a long time to see this. It was worth the wait. Better than I imagined it would feel. Knowing my daughter has a man by her side I respect; one I know will love and protect her better than I can. Now you’re givin’ me more. Thought the day I gave my daughter to you, I’d be filled with happiness. I was wrong, this isn’t happiness, this is goddamn elation. This is all that is right in the world. This is every dream my daughter’s ever had come true. You’ll learn this soon, but nothing a father wants more than to see his child safe and happy. Could not be more thrilled you are that man for Delaney.”

“’Preciate that more than you know,” I croaked, overwhelmed by his approval.

“No, Carter, I do know. I know the man you are, the husband you’ll be to my daughter, and father to my grandchildren. I know down to my soul you were born for her. No other man would do. Not in my eyes, not in hers.”

“Can’t even say welcome to the family.” My dad laughed. “But, Delaney, I can say Lily and I loved you since the day you were born. Still remember the look on your dad’s face when he heard he was having a girl. Sheer panic set in. That was the day your dad understood the meaning of fear. He had a boy, a son, he loved beyond measure, but a baby girl is something different. Suddenly, he understood what vulnerability truly meant. And from then on, I swear he was groomin’ my boy to love you. Carter was three. I knew when you fell off your bike when you were ten and Carter carried you home, the way you looked up at him with stars in your eyes, blood drippin’ down your boney little legs, it wouldn’t have mattered what your dad did, you’d laid claim to my boy. And that’s when I knew, he’d be all right. No matter what he did, where he went, the struggles he’d face—you’d be there. And with you by his side, the woman you’d become, I knew he’d have a beautiful life. Know I don’t say it enough, but I’m proud of you, Delaney.”

“Thank you, Uncle…I mean, Lenox,” Laney whispered.

“We’re really gonna have to work on that,” my mom huffed. “I’m not having my grandbaby hear his mama callin’ his grandfather ‘uncle’. Jeez.”

The room exploded in laughter and the heavy was gone.

“What? I’m serious.” My mom slapped my dad on his chest and he easily caught her hand and held it to his heart.

“I know you are, sweetheart.” My dad chuckled.

Jasper’s movement caught my attention as he was pulling his phone out of his back pocket.

“Nick?” Then there was a pause. “That fast?” Another wait, then he nodded and continued. “Right. Thanks. I’ll let them know.”

“Know what?” Dad asked before I could.

“SSA Gonzales personally went to the Lowe residence and spoke to Derek and Dana’s parents. They helpfully provided Christmas cards, handwritten letters, and a diary. Gonzales says he’s certain Dana wrote the letter and mailed it to Delaney. Something about the letter, line, and formatting being the same but he’s sending it to a forensic document examiner to be sure.”

“I’m so stupid. I should’ve—”

“Don’t do that. That’s lookin’ in the past.”

“No. It’s admitting I was wrong and I shoulda listened to you. You told me there was something wrong with her.”

“And I could’ve been wrong. I could’ve been acting like an overprotective jerk. And you rightly called me on it. I don’t ever want the things I’ve seen to stifle who you are. I don’t want my cynicism to taint the good in you. It’s done. It’s over. She can never hurt you again. And now we move on. You have an important job to do and mine is to make you safe while you’re doin’ it. Free to be who you are—my sweet, carefree Laney. You leave the rest to me.”

“What’s my job?”

“Growing my son.”

“That’s not a job, you know?”

Her brows pinched together and she looked cute as hell and mildly irritated.

“Laney baby, growin’ a Lenox boy in that belly of yours is definitely a full-time job.”

“He’s not wrong,” my mom added. “It’s like they suck the life out of you. And then as a reward for going through nine months of them invading your body, they treat you to a lifetime of sleepless nights.”

My mom sounded like she was complaining, but she was full of shit.

“Right.” Laney giggled.

“Right,” my mom returned with a wink.

I glanced down at my woman, and after all she’d been through she was smiling and happy. We were having a baby. Life was good.

And I was gonna be a dad.

Hell, yes!

“What the hell is he doing?”

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